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XXXIV. A Memoir on the Birds of Greenland ; with Descriptions
and Notes on the Species observed in the late Voyage of Discovery .
in Davis’s Straits and Baffin’s Bay. By Captain Edward Sabine
of the Royal Artillery, F.R.S. and L.S.

Read April 6, 1819.

I wave much pleasure in presenting to the Linnean Society a
Memoir on the Birds of Greenland. In accompanying the expedi-
tion which sailed last year in search of a North-West passage, I
had opportunities, when not engaged in the official duties which
I was sent to perform, of making some observations on the Orni-
thology of that part of the world.

Of fifty species enumerated by various authors as having been
found in Greenland, twenty-four fell under my notice: some in-
teresting facts relating to these have been ascertained, and four
other species have been added to the list, one of which has not
been before described by any naturalist. That so few birds were
seen is to be explained by the circumstance, that the ships very .
rarely approached the shores so as to permit a landing; but it 's
confidently hoped, that the voyage which is about to be under-
taken will afford facilities for more extensive research.

I have confined my account to the birds seen either in Davis’s
Straits or in Baffin’s Bay, omitting all notice of those observed on
the voyage when we were nearer the shores of the British islands
than those of any part of Greenland.

The works which have been generally quoted are the following :

Gmelin,

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(JUL 16 190U

HBR ARIES

528 Capt. Sanrtne’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &c.

Gmelin, Systema Nature Linnei.

Latham’s General Synopsis of Birds.
Latham’s Index Ornithologicus.

Fabricit Fauna Groenlandica.

Briinnichii Ornithologia Borealis.

Pennant’s Arctic Zoology.

Linnei Fauna Suecica, Editio altera.
Miiller, Zoologie Danice Prodromus.
Temminck, Manuel d’Ornithologie.

Wilson’s American Ornithology.

Pennant’s British Zoology. Second edition.
Montagu’s Ornithological Dictionary and Supplement.

I did not consider it expedient to introduce the synonyms of
or reference to any other authors than those above mentioned,
except the particular circumstance of any individual case required
it; where such occurs, the title of the work will appear in the refe-

rence itself.
1. Fatco Istanpicus. Jerfalcon.

F, Islandicus. Gmel. i. 275. Lath. Ind. Orn.i. 832. Temm. $3.—White Iceland Falcon.

Lath. Syn.i. 71.—F. Candicans. Gmel. i. 275.—W hite Jerfalcon. Lath. Syn. i. 83. &
Supp. 21.—Gyrfalcon. Arct. Zool. ii. 221. Br. Zool. i. 217.—Jerfalcon. Mont. Dict.
&§ Supp—F. Islandus. Gmel. i. 271. Fabr. 58. Briin. no. 7 & 8. Miill. no. 73.—
Spotted Iceland Falcon. Lath. Syn. i. 71.—F. Rusticolus. Gmel. i. 268. Fabr. 55.
Faun. Suec.19. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 28.—Collared Falcon. Arct. Zool. ii. 222. Lath.
Syn. i. 50.
* YOUNG Birps. F. Gyrfalco. Gmel.i.275. Lath. Ind. Orn.i.32. Faun. Suec.
22.—F. Fuscus. Fabr. 56. Briin. no. 9—F. Sacer. Gmel.i.273. Lath. Ind. Orn. i.
34.—Sacre Falcon. Lath. Syn.i. 77 & 78. & Supp. 20. Arct. Zool. ii. 202.— Dusky
Falcon. Arct. Zool. ii. 220.—American Falcon. Lath. Syn. Supp. 38.—Brown Jer-
falcon. Lath. Syn. i. 82.—Iceland Falcon. Lath. Syn.i. 70. Arct. Zool. ii. 216.—
Greenland Falcon. Lath. Syn. Supp. 36.

The Jerfalcon was seen in a single instance at Baffin’s Three
Islands, on the west coast of Greenland, in lat. 74°. It was

wounded, but got away.
The

Capt. Sanrtnr’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 529

The progress of this bird from youth, when it is quite brown, to
the almost perfect whiteness of its maturity, forms a succession of
changes in which each individual feather gradually loses a portion
of its brown as the white edging on the margin increases in breadth
from year to year; such has been the cause of the variety of
synonyms which have been referred to.

2. Fatco Perecrinus. Peregrine Falcon.

F. Peregrinus. Gmel.i. 272. Lath. Ind. Orn.i. 33. Temm. 34.—Peregrine Falcon. Br.
Zool. i. 218. Arct. Zool. ii. 202. Lath. Syn.i.73.& Supp. 18. Mont. Dict. & Supp.
—F. Communis. Gmel. i. 270. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 30.—Common Falcon. Lath.
Syn.i.65.—Lanner. Br. Zool. i. 223.—Great-footed Hawk. Wil. Am. Orn. ix. 120.

Killed in the third week of September in lat. 66° N. and long.
58° W., and therefore most probably from America. Fabricius
does not mention this bird as an inhabitant of Greenland. The
specimen from which the note is taken was a young bird, and re-
mained for some hours about the ship in company with three
others. I have not hesitated to add the synonym of the IF. com-
munis to the other received ones of this species; the French spe-
cimens under that name fully proving the identity. The broad
black line or patch, extending from the eye down to the throat,
is a distinguishing mark of this bird, and of the Falco Subbuteo,
or Hobby, in the various states of their plumage; the difference
in size of the two species will always prevent their being con-
founded.

I suspect that the Falco Lannarius of Briinnich is a Merlin, and
therefore have not referred to it. ‘The Lanner of the British
Zoology is a young Peregrine Falcon; but the I. Lannarius of
Linneus and Gmelin, of Latham and others, as well as the Lanner
of the Arctic Zoology and of Latham’s Synopsis, is a distinct spe-
cies (as I am informed by M.'Temminck) common in Russia, Po-
land, and Hungary, to which also the F. Stellaris and Starry Fal-
con of authors must be referred, being the same bird in a younger

state.

530 Capt. Sanine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &c.

state. These have hitherto been usually referred to as synonyms
of the F. Peregrinus.

3. Corvus Corax. Raven.

C. Corax. Gmel.i.364. Lath. Ind. Orn.i. 150. Temm. 66. Fabr. 62. Faun. Suec. 29.
Mill. no. 86. Briin. no. 8.—Raven. Lath. Syn. i. 367. & Supp. 74. Arct. Zool. ii.
245. Br. Zool. i. 279. Mont. Dict. & Supp. Wil. Am. Orn. 1x. 113.

Killed at Hare Island, and seen on the west coast of Greeniand
in lat. 753°. We did not notice a pied one, although such a vari-
ety is said to be common in arctic countries.

4. Tretrao Lacorus. Ptarmigan.
T. Lagopus. Gmel.i. 749. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 639. Faun. Suec. 73. Briin. nos. 198 §
199. Fabr.114. Mill. no. 223. Temm. 298.—Ptarmigan. Lath. Syn. iv. 741.
Br. Zool. i. 359. Arct. Zool. ii. 315. Mont. Dict. § Supp—T. Rupestris. Gmel. i.
751. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 640.—Rock Grous. Lath. Syn. Supp. 217. Arct. Zool. ii.
$12.

Killed June 19th at Hare Island. The females were laying:
they had been abundant, but only a few were left on our arrival,
several whalers having anchored there before us, the crews of
which had destroyed them. Were I not quite satisfied of the iden-
tity of the species, the difference of the plumage of these birds
would seem to justify a persuasion that they are distinct ; but in
all essential characteristics they are the T. Lagopus. ‘The pecu-
liarities which are to be noticed have escaped the attention even
of Fabricius; who nevertheless describes these birds as seen du-
ring the summer. The period when they fell under my observa-
tion being that of their full breeding season, it must unquestion-
ably be allowed that they were in perfect summer plumage. ‘The
male birds were wholly white, with the exception of the black
line from the bill to the eye, of the under tail-feathers, and a very
few scattered black feathers on the top of the head: even the
shafts of the large quill-feathers were white ; the females had not

the usual portion of white on the breast; the coverings of the
legs

Capt. Savinr’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 531

legs were white, as were the quill-feathers, but the shafts of these
were dark ; the whole of the coloured plumage was more rich and
gaudy than in Scottish specimens. In the latter the ash-colour
predominates, in the Greenland Ptarmigan the orange. The bars of
brow are also broader and deeper in the Greenland specimens.

5. Emperiza Nivatts. Snow Bunting.

E. Nivalis. Gmel. i. 866. Lath. Ind. Orn.i.397. Temm.188. Faun. Suec. 82. Briin.
nos. 245 § 246. Mill. no. 250. Fabr. 117.—Snow Bunting. Lath. Syn. iii. 161. &
Supp. 157. Br. Zool. i. 444. Arct. Zool. ii. 355. Mont. Dict. Supp. & Appen.
Wil. Am. Orn. iii. 36.—E. Glacialis. Lath. Ind. Orn. i.398.—Tawny Bunting. Lath.
Syn. iii. 164. Br. Zool. i. 442. Mont. Dict. & Supp—E. Montana. Gmel. i. 867.
Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 398.—Mountain Bunting. Lath. Syn. iii. 165. Br. Zool.i. 445,
Mont. Dict. & Supp.

These birds were abundant in Hare Island on the west coast
of Greenland, lat. 70° 26’, in the month of June, and were breed-
ing there. We also saw them on the western coast of Davis’s
Straits, about the same latitude, in September. Fabricius has well
described their nest as formed externally of grass, next of feathers,
and lined with the hair of foxes. Eggs four or five, dirty white,
spotted with ash-colour and yellowish brown ; the nests are placed
in ledges of the rocks. The song of the male bird was noticed fre-
quently. Notwithstanding the deference which is due to the
general accuracy of Montagu, I have ventured to place the
Snow, T'awny and Mountain Buntings together, believing them to
be the same species in different states of plumage, the effects of
age, sex, or climate. Those seen at Hare Island exactly corre-
spond to the Snow Bunting of Montagu, and those on the opposite
coast to the Tawny Bunting.

6. Sytvia OENANTHE. Wheatear.
Motacilla Oenanthe. Gmel.1.966. Faun. Suec.93. Fabr. 122. Briin. nos. 245 & 246:
Miull.no.274.—S. Oenanthe. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 529. Temm.135.—Wheatear. Lath.
Syn. iv. 465.§ Supp. 182. Br. Sool. i.521. Arct. Zool. ii. 420. Mont. Dict. & Supp.

VOL. XII. 32 This

532 Capt. Sasine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &c.

This species was not seen on the shores of Greenland on which
we landed: but on our return homewards in October, off Cape
Farewell, a few were seen at a distance from the land, doubtless
on their passage southward. In our outward voyage, in May, we
also met with them in lat. 60° N. and long. 13° W., then most
probably migrating northward.

7. Trinca Maritima. Purple Sandpiper.
T. Maritima. Gmel.i. 678. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 731. Briin. no. 182. Mill. no. 206.
—Selninger, Sandpiper. Arct. Zool. 11. 480. Lath. Syn. v. 173. & 2d Supp. 312.
Br. Zool. ii. 80.—T. Striata. Gmel. i. 672. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 733. Fabr. 107.—
Striated Sandpiper. Arct. Zool. 1.472. Lath. Syn. v. 176.—Sea Sandpiper. Mark-
wick in Linn. Trans. iv. 22.—T. Nigricans. Montagu in Linn. Trans. iv. 40.—Purple
Sandpiper. Mont. Dict. & Supp.

Fabricius was the first naturalist who knew this bird to be the
same in all its changes of plumage; he called it T. Strzata; but it
being now more generally known as 7. Maritima, I have given it
that name, being what it is usually called when in its summer
dress: the specimens killed at Hare Island in June, and at
Possession Bay on the Ist of September, were in this plumage.
In its winter state it has been called the 7. Striata, or Striated
Sandpiper. As a British bird it has been described only in the
latter plumage, and it is the Sea Sandpiper of Mr. Markwick, the
Purple Sandpiper and Tringa Nigricans of Montagu. Temminck
does not notice it in his Manuel. The Greenland specimens have
been compared with two in my brother’s cabinet of British birds,
the latter having been killed in winter: the difference of the plu-
mage of the two seasons consists in the under parts during sum-
mer having less of dusky and more of white; and the feathers of
the back and scapulars being of a much deeper and richer colour,
and beautifully marked with broad white edgings: a similar mark-
ing is observable, but not so distinctly, on the back of the head

and

Capt. Sanine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 533

and neck; there is also a little dash of ferruginous occasionally
interspersed on the upper plumage. ‘This species was found in
flocks of six and eight on a shingly beach.

8. T'risaa Cinerea. Knot or Red Sandpiper.

T. Cinerea. Temm. 404.

Summer. T. Islandica. Gmel. 1.682. Lath. Ind. Orn.ii. 737.—T. Ferruginea.
Briin. no. 180. Miill. no. 203.—Red Sandpiper. Arct. Zool. 11. 476. Mont. Dict.
& App. Lath. Syn. v. 186. Br. Zool. 11. 89.

WINTER. T.Cinerea. Gmel.i. 673. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 733. . Brun. no. 179.
Mull. no. 202.—Ash-coloured Sandpiper. Lath. Syn. v.177. Br. Zool. 1.78. Arct.
Zool. ii. 474. Mont. Dict. & Supp. Wil. Am. Orn. vii. 36.—T. Grisea. Gmel. i.
681. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 733.—Grizzled Sandpiper. Lath. Syn. v. 175—T. Ca-
nutus. Gmel. i. 679. Lath. Ind. Orn. 11.738. Faun. Suec.65.—Knot. Lath. Syn. v.
187. Br. Zool. ii. 76. Arct. Zool. i. 473. Mont. Dict. & Supp.

BIRDS OF ONE YEAR. T. Calidris. Gmel.i. 681. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 732:
—Dusky Sandpiper. Lath. Syn. v. 174. Mont. App.—T. Nevia. Gmel. i. 681.
Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 732.—Freckled Sandpiper. Arct. Zool. ii. 480. Lath. Syn. v.
174.—T. Australis. Gmel. 1. 679. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 737.—Southern Sandpiper,
Lath. Syn. v. 187. & Supp. 249.—Aberdeen Sandpiper. Br. Zool. 11. 89.

Killed at Hare Island in June. It is probably a rare species
in Greenland, being unknown to Fabricius. Its various stages of
plumage have been correctly described by Montagu in his Ap-
pendix, article “ Dusky Sandpiper,” and by 'Temminck in his Ma-
nuel: they had been previously involved in much obscurity, and
had given rise to the variety of synonyms which are referred to. In
its winter state it is the 7’. Canutus, or Knot: in its progress to the
summer state it becomes first the 7. Grisea, or Grizzled, then the
T. Cinerea or Ash-coloured Sandpiper: the old birds in summer
are the 7. Islandica and T. Ferruginea, and Red Sandpiper: the
birds of the first year, not attaining the high colour of the old
ones, have been described variously ; as the 7’. Calidris or Dusky,
T. Nevia or Freckled, T. Australis or Southern, and the Aberdeen
Sandpiper.

322 9. TRINGA

534 Capt. Sawtnn’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c.

9g. Trinca AxLPIna. Duniin.

T. Variabilis. Temm. 395.

SuMMER. T. Alpina. Gmel. i. 676. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 756. Briin. no. 175.
Mull. no. 197. Faun. Suec. 64. Fabr. 111.—Dunlin. Lath. Syn.y. 185. & Supp.
249. Arct. Zool. ii. 476. Mont. Dict. Supp. & App. Br. Zool. ii. 92.—Red-
backed Sandpiper. Wil. Am. Orn. vii. 25.

Winter. TT. Cinclus. Gmel.i. 680. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 735 —Purre. Arct.
Zool.ii. 475. Lath. Syn. vy. 182. Br. Zool. 294. Wil. Am. Orn. vii. 89. Mont.
Dict.

Only a single specimen was killed. The bird is said by Fabri-
cius to be very rare in Greenland. The fact of the Tringa Cinclus
and Alpina being the same bird may be considered as established,
the former in the winter and the latter in the summer plumage:
for this discovery Europeans are indebted to our countryman
Montagu. Even the acute and accurate Temminck has not ar-
rived at clearness on this point in his Manuel, though he concludes
the T. Cinclus as referable to the Alpina (his Variabilis) in some
state. It must not be overlooked, however, that before Montagu
had published his discovery, the close practical observation of
Wilson the ornithologist of America, had put him in possession of
the fact also.

These birds must certainly migrate from the arctic regions in
the winter; since neither Briinnich, Miiller, Fabricius, nor the
Fauna Suecica make any mention of the Tringa Cinclus.

10. Cuaraprius Hiaticuta. Ringed Plover.

C. Hiaticula. Gmel. i. 683. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 743. Miill.no.209. Briin. no. 184.
Fabr. 112. Faun. Suec. 66.—Ringed Plover. Lath. Syn. vy. 201. Arct. Zool. ii.
485. Br. Zool. ii. 105. Mont. Dict. & Supp. Wil. Am. Orn. 765.

Killed at Hare Island in June: perfectly agreeing with Mon-
tagu’s description of British specimens; from whence it may be
inferred that the remark made by Pennant of the black collar be-

coming

Capt. Sanine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 535

coming fainter in North America, from the effect of climate, is
not correct. Montagu mentions that he has seen several of these
birds which had been killed in England, in which the collar was
extinct.

11. Pratarorpus Hyrersoreus. Red Phalarope.

P. Hyperboreus. Temm. 457. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 775.—Tringa Hyperborea. Gmel. i.
675. Mill. no. 196.—Tringa Lobata. Fabr.109. Faun. Suec.64.—Red Phalarope.
Lath. Syn. v. 270 & 271. Br. Zool. ii. 125. Arct. Zool. ii. 494. Mont. Dict.
Supp. & App. Wil. Am. Orn. ix. 75. i

IMMATURE. Phalaropus Fuscus. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 776.—Tringa Fusca.
Gmel. 1. 675.—Tringa Lobata. Briin. no. 171.—Brown Phalarope. Lath. Syn. v.
274. Arct. Zool. ii. 495.

A small flock of these birds were met with on the west coast
of Greenland, in latitude 71°, in June. A considerable variation
takes place in the ferruginous colouring of the sides of the neck,
in some instances the colour meets at the breast, and in others it
does not; it has been considered that this difference is characteristic
of the sex, but I am inclined to think that such opinion is errone-
ous. Some authors have supposed the Tringa Fulicaria of Linneus’s
Systema Nature and of Briinnich to be the female of this species,
and have consequently described it as differing extremely : but
I have had no hesitation in placing the Tringa Fulicaria as a
synonym of the true 7ringa Lobata (not the T. Lobata of Fabricius,
which is the present bird). The Phalaropus Fuscus with its syno-
nyms is considered as the immature bird, on the authority of
Temminck and the Fauna Suecica; but great confusion has been
made in the synonyms referred to by other writers. Iam not ac-
quainted with the winter plumage of this species; but think it
probable that the ferruginous tints are peculiar to the summer
months, as the specimens killed in June were very irregularly and.
uncertainly marked.

12. Pira-

536 Capt. San1ne’s Memoir of the Birds of Greenland, &c.

12. PuaLanopPus Pratyryncuos. Flat-billed Phalarope.

Phalaropus Platyrynchos. Temm. 459.

SuMMER. Tringa Fulicaria. Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. xii. vol.i.249. Briin. no. 172.
Fabr.111. Mill. no. 196.—Tringa Hyperborea, var. 8. Gmel.1.676.—Red Pha-
larope female. Lath. Syn. v. 271.

WuntTrER. Phalaropus Lobatus. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 776.—Tringa Lobata.
Gmel. i. 674. Mill. no. 195.—Grey Phalarope. Br. Zool. 1.123. Lath. Syn. v.
272. Arct. Zool. ii. 494. Mont. Dict-—Grey Phalarope. Wil. Am. Orn. ix. 72.

In CHANGE. Phalaropus Glacialis. Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. 776.—Tringa Glacia-
lis. Gmel.i. 675.—Plain Phalarope. Lath. Syn. v. 273. Arct. Zool. 11. 495.—Grey
Phalarope. Mont. App.

YounG. Tringa Lobata, var. 8. Gwmel. i. 674.

However unwilling I feel to admit alterations in names, I am
induced to do so in the present instance, and to adopt ‘T’em-
minck’s specific appellation, both as appropriate, and distinct
from the confusion in which the various other synonyms which
are referred to are involved. ‘The specimen from which the ac-
count is taken was killed on the 10th of June, out of a flock of

_ four, on the west coast of Greenland, in latitude 68°. They were
swimming in the sea, amongst icebergs three or four miles from
the shore. From the considerable difference between the summer
and winter plumage of this bird, it is not surprising that so many
mistakes have been made. My specimen, which was a male, agrees
with Temminck’s description of the fall-plumaged bird in sum-
mer, except that the whole under parts have a considerable
quantity of white mixed with the brick red, the white being
rather predominant. Before I had an opportunity of consulting
the Manuel d Ornithologie, which confirmed my opinion, I had
arrived at the conclusion that the Fringa Fulicaria of Briinnich
was this bird: his accurate description of the bill left no doubt in
my mind, notwithstanding the difference in the plumage, the
consequence of season. Fabricius enumerates the Tringa Fulicaria

in

Capt. Sanine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 537

in his Fauna Groelandica ; but the bird itself does not appear to
have fallen under his notice: he was aware, however, that it could
not be referred to his Tringa Lobata. This species is only known
to British naturalists in its winter state.

1S, Apea, Anis.)., LittleAwk.

A. Alle. Gmel.i. 554. Lath. Ind. Orn. 1.795. Briin. no. 106. Fabr. 84. Faun. Suec.
50. Mull. no. 142.—Little Auk. Lath. Syn. v. 327. Arect. Zool. i. 512. Mont.
Dict. § Supp. Br. Zool. ii. 158. Wil. Am. Orn. ix. 94.—Uria Alle. Temm. 611.

This species was abundant in Baffin’s Bay and Davis’s Straits ;
and in latitude 76° was so numerous in the channels of water
separating fields of ice, that many hundreds were killed daily,
and the ship’s company supplied with them. ‘The whole of the
birds in the breeding season (the sexes being alike) had the under
part of the neck an uniform sooty black, terminating abruptly
and in an even line against the white of the belly; the young
birds, which we saw in all stages from the egg, as soon as they
were feathered were marked exactly as the mature birds: but in
the third week of September, when we were on our passage down
the American coast, every specimen, whether old or young, was
observed to be in change; and in the course of a few days the en-
tire feathers of the throat and cheeks and of the under part of the
neck had become white; this latter state has been erroneously
considered by some authors as that of the immature bird. It has
been correctly described however by Fabricius as the winter
plumage. Montagu arrived at the same conclusion in his Sup-
plement. We saw neither of the varieties which Fabricius remarks
that he had heard of; namely, a red-breasted variety, and one

wholly white.

14. Uria

538 Capt.Sasine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c.

14 Urra Briinnicuit. Briinnich’s Guillemot.
Unia Troille. Briin. no. 109.

Until the last autumn this bird was known to naturalists on the
authority alone of Briinnich ; who, in his Ornithologia Boreals hav-
ing described the species at present denominated the Ura Troile,
under the specific name of Lomvia, proceeds to notice the exist-
ence of a second species much resembling it, and which he names
the Uria Troile: this second species is the present bird. Linneus
originally called the first bird Alca Lomvia in his Systema Nature,
edit. 10. (1758) vol. i. 130; but in the second edition of his Fauna
Suecica (1761), he named it Trotle. Briinnich in 1764 took up the
specific appellation of Lomvia from the Systema Nature, adding the
description he found given of it in the Fauna Suecica under the
name of Troile, and applied Troile to bis new bird, referring, how-
ever, to the Fauna Suecica probably as authority for the name.
From this confusion I apprehend it has arisen that both these birds
have not since Briinnich published his work been noticed by ge-
neral authors as distinct species. Dr. Leach on examining this bird
ascertained it to be a distinct species ; and not being aware that it
had been previously distinguished and described by Briinnich, ex-
hibited it at the Linnean Society as a new species, under the name
of Uria Francsii in compliment to Mr. Frederick Franks, whom he
then supposed to have been the person by whom it had been first
killed. I have already had occasion, when speaking of the Pha-
laropus Platyrynchos, to remark the accuracy in observation of
Briinnich. It is but justice to attach his name to a species of
which his claim to priority of knowledge and of communication
is unquestionable. Latham (Synopsis vi. 330) notices this bird of
Briinnich’s, but considers it a variety of the Foolish Guillemot.

The Uria Briinnichii was found in abundance in Davis’s Straits,

and

Capt. Sanine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 539

and occasionally in Baffin’s Bay. A specimen killed on the 10th
of June had the feathers of the throat mottled with white; from
whence I infer that it undergoes the same changes from season
as the Uria Troile. A matured specimen was sent by me to my
brother, and reached England towards the close of the summer ;
several were subsequently brought home by the expedition which
visited Spitzbergen, as well as by that which went to Baffin’s
Bay.

It is extraordinary that a species so abundant in the Greenland
seas should be unnoticed by Fabricius; it must have escaped
his observation altogether, as he has not even mentioned the Urza
Troile, for which it might on a slight view be mistaken. Length
17 inches—extent 2 feet—weight 2lb. 60z.; inside of the throat
yellow, irides dark; throat and neck sooty brown; head black ;
hind head, hind neck, back and wings, dark sooty brown; the
wings being lightest, and the secondaries tipt white; the feathers
of the head and neck have a peculiar smoothness and softness ;
from the eye to the hind head is a line occasioned by a division
of the feathers; belly and all beneath pure white, running up to
a point in the neck; the feathers are very thick, and on being
removed a dark down appears between them and the skin; legs
marbled, brown and yellowish; claws black; no difference in
plumage between the sexes. With the exception of the colour
of the dark plumage, this description might be a, lied to the
Foolish Guillemot ; but the specific distinction is well pointed out
by Briinnich in the following words: ‘ Lomviz in omnibus simil-
lima, excepto rostro latiori et breviori, cujus margines etiam in
exsiccatis exuviis flavescunt.” The yellow margin extends from
the corner of the mouth, along the edge of the upper mandible,
to the point to which the feathers project on the bill: it is rather
horn-coloured than yellow. Briinnich mentions three other birds,

VOL. XII. Aa Nos.

540 Capt. Saninz’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c.

Nos. 110, 111 and 112, which he calls Svarbag, Ringvia and
Alga; the two former Iceland and the latter Danish birds: he is
undetermined whether these be distinct species, or the present
in different states of plumage: I am inclined to consider the
latter supposition as the correct one.

It will be necessary to make some alteration in the specific cha-
racter of Uria Troile, as given in Gmelin and Latham, to distin-
guish it from Uria Briinnichii. It is therefore proposed to de-
scribe the two species as follows:

U. Troile. U.corpore fusco, pectore abdomineque niveo, remi-
gibus secundariis apice albis, rostro longitudine capitis :
mandibula superiore quadruplo longiore quam lata.

U. Briinnichii. U.corpore fuliginoso, pectore abdomineque ni-
veo, remigibus secundariis apice albis, rostro capite breviore :
mandibula superiore triplo longiore quam lata.

15. Urta Gryttr. Black Guillemot.

U. Grylle. Temm. 608. Fabr, 92.—Black Guillemot. Br. Zool. 11. 163. Mont. Dict. &
Supp. Lath. Syn. vi. 332. & Supp. 265.
Mature WINTER. U. Grylloides. Briin. no. 114.—U. Balthica. Brisn.
nos. 115 & 116.
Mature SUMMER. U.Grylle. Briin. no.113. Lath. Ind. Orn. 1.797.—Co-
lymbus Grylle. Gmel. 584. Faun. Suec. 52.—Colymbus Gryllus. Mull. no. 151.—
Black Guillemot. Arct. Zool. 1. 516.

The states of plumage of this bird are clearly described from
the extensive and accurate observation of Fabricius. The young,
when just feathered, are spotted black and white beneath, but
otherwise resemble the parents. On the approach of winter the
whole become varied with black and white; the feathers of the
back margined with white; the head, throat and breast, white
lightly spotted with black, the wings continuing black, and the

speculum

Capt. Sasine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 541

speculum white. In this state it has been described by Briinnich
as the Uria Balthica, No. 115. In mature winter plumage the
whole bird is more or less speckled, and the upper feathers of the
wing spot become tipt with black, giving it a mottled appearance.
It is then the Uria Balthica, No. 116, of Briinnich. A male speci-
men, killed in November at Shetland, having the wing spot mot-
tled, shows that this circumstance is not peculiar to the females,
as has been supposed. In the spring the plumage gradually re-
assumes the black. A male killed in Davis’s Straits early in
June, had the whole head and neck mottled with black and white,
equally distributed ; the plumage beneath and the back being
black with a few white feathers dispersed ; the lower part of the
abdomen gray as in the neck; the speculum still mottled, but
with the white predominating. This bird was killed on our first
arrival in the Greenland seas ; and it is presumed that the change
to full summer plumage was proceeding very rapidly, as we did
not afterwards see a mottled bird. ‘The legs of the November
and June specimens were red, though not so bright as in sum-
mer. The breeding plumage is too well known to need descrip-
tion.

We did not see a variety, unless a specimen killed in September
having the primaries rusty brown instead of black may be con-
sidered such: the varieties which are noticed by Gmelin, and also
by Latham in the Index Ornithologicus and in the Synopsis, and
which are supposed to be found in different places, are referable
to the changes of plumage which this bird undergoes during the

winter.

4a 16. Coz

542 Capt.Sas1ne’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &c.

16. CotymBus SEPTENTRIONALIS. Red-throated Diver.
C. Septentrionalis. Fabr. 95. Temm. 602.

MATURE. C.Septentrionalis. Gmel.i.586. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 801. Mult.
no. 153.—C. Lumme. Briin. no. 132.—Red-throated Diver. Lath. Syn. vi. 344.
Arct. Zool. ii. 520. Br. Zool. ii, 169. Mont. Dict. Supp. & App.

BIRDS OF THE FIRST YEAR. C.Stellatus. Gmel.i.587. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii.
800. Briin. no. 130. Mill. no. 159.—Speckled Diver. Lath, Syn. vi. 341. Br.
Zool. 1. 168. Arct. Zool. ii. 519. Mont. Dict. & Supp.

BIRDS OF THE SECOND YEAR. C. Striatus. Gmel. i. 586. Lath. Ind.
Orn. 11. 802.—C. Borealis. Brin. no, 131. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 801.—Striped Di-
ver. Arct. Zool. i. 519. Lath, Syn. vi. 345.

Killed June 50, on the west coast of Greenland, in Jat. 71°. The
rich chesnut marking on the throat is conical in shape, having the
apex, which is sharply pointed, at the throat, and the base resting
on the white of the breast; the back of the specimen is slightly
sprinkled with white spots, showing that it is a bird of the third or
fourth year. Following Temminck, the Colymbus Stellatus and
Striatus, with their synonyms, are here introduced as the imma-
ture birds of the present species: Fabricius was aware of the
change of plumage, and has described the mature bird well; but
no author before Temminck appears to have supposed that the
Striped and Speckled Divers were referable to this species.

17. StrerNA Hirunvpo. Common Tern.

S. Hirundo. Gmel.i.606. Lath. Ind. Orn.i.807. Fabr.105. Miull.no.170. Faun.
Suec. 55. Temm. 481.—S. Paradisea. Briin. no. 152.—Great Tern. Wil. Am.
Orn. vii. 76.—Common Tern. Br. Zool. 11. 196. Mont. Dict. & Supp.

ImmMatuRE. S. Hirundo. Briin. no. 151.—Common Tern. Lath. Syn. vi. 361.
Great Tern. Arct. Zool. ii. 524.

Abundant on the coast of Greenland. In the accounts of the
authors who have been cited, a difference is observable in the de-
scription of the colour of the forehead of this species: by some
it is represented as white, and by others as black: the specimens

which

Capt. Sanrne’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 543

which were obtained, and which were very numerous, were all of
the latter plumage, which is certainly that of the perfect adult
bird. The white feathers on the forehead are found only on young
birds of the first year considerably advanced towards maturity.
In astill younger state it is supposed to be the S. obscura or Brown
Tern of Gmelin and Latham, and perhaps also the S. nigra of the
Fauna Suecica, Miller and Briinnich. There is a remarkable dif-
ference between the Greenland common Terns and those of the
European coasts, in their bills and legs ; the bills of the Greenland
birds are one-third shorter than the European ones, and the tarsi
of the former are only half the length of the latter.

18. Larus Marinus. Great Black-backed Gull.
L. Marinus. Fabr. 102. Temm. 490.
Maroure. L. Marinus. Gmel.i.598. Lath. Ind. Orn.ii.813. Briin. no, 145.
Faun. Suec. 55. Miill. no. 165.—Black-backed Gull. Lath. Syn. vi. 371. Br.
Zool. 1.172. Arct. Zool. ii. 527.—Great Black-backed Gull. Mont. Dict. & App.
IMMATURE. L. Nevius. Gmel. i. 598.—Wagel. Lath. Syn. vi. 375. Br.
Zool. ii. 182. Arct. Zool. ii. 528.

The largest of the known Gulls. This bird was once, and once
only, seen from the ships, when they were high up in Baflin’s Bay,
but at a distance too great to obtain a specimen. It was known
to Fabricius both in its mature and immature plumage; but he
was probably mistaken in considering the L. varius of Briinnich
as a synonym of the young bird: that from its size is probably an
immature Herring Gull. The L. marinus is too well known to
need a particular description.

19. Larus Guavucus. Glaucous Gull.

L. Glaucus. Gmel. i. 600. Fabr. 100. Briin. no. 148. Mull. no. 169. Lath. Ind.
Orn. 1. 814.—Glaucous Gull. Lath. Syn. vi. 374. Arct. Zool. ii. 532. & Supp. 70.

Notwithstanding the confusion in which the larger species of
Gulls

544 Capt. Sanine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c.

Gulls are involved, there appears no doubt of the application of
all the above references to the species now under description. The
L. glaucus of Temminck is not quoted, because, as will be here-
after shown, it is a different species.

None but mature birds in the perfect summer state were killed
during the voyage, but these were very common throughout Da-
vis’s Straits and Baflin’s Bay. I am fortunately able to make the
history of its plumage complete from specimens in my brother’s
collection of British birds; and I am happy thus incidentally to
record it for the first time as an addition to British ornithology.

In immature plumage it is mottled throughout with an uniform
light-brown and white, being distinguished from the young of
other well-described species by being without the darker marks
on the wings and tail: during the first year the bill has the upper
mandible less arched, the angular projection of the lower mandi-
ble not so defined, and the extremities of both lead-coloured. In
winter the mature bird has the head and neck mottled with brown,
as is usual with all the white-headed Gulls. In the perfect sum-
mer state, the whole plumage is white excepting the back, scapu-
lars, and wing-coverts, which are a very light ash-colour; the pri-
mary quill-feathers are still lighter, the ends and under part being
pure white ; there is no black whatsoever on any part of the plu-
mage: hence the bird from Hudson’s Bay, described in Latham’s
Synopsis at the page referred to above, with six of the primary
quill-feathers black at the ends, must have been another species.

When arrived at maturity the bill is three inches in length, of
a lightish horn-colour, the angular projection of the lower man-
dible being bright red; orbits naked, straw-coloured and very
fierce ; legs and feet a livid flesh-colour. In size it is somewhat
inferior to the L. marinus ; the bill, tarsus, and body of the latter
being decidedly greater. Length of a male specimen twenty-nine

inches

Capt. Saninn’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &c. 545

inches and a half. Extent sixty-three inches. Weight 41b. 8 oz.
Length of the tarsus two inches seven-eighths: the females ave-
raged rather less. ‘Temminck (Manuel, p. 49Q, note) appears to
have seen an immature specimen of this bird, to which he was
disposed to give the name of L. giganteus : this name would not
be a correct one, because it is a smaller bird than the L. marinus.
Temminck identifies his specimen with the L. Ictyetos of Pallas,
but that bird is a black-headed Gull.

The Larus glaucus is unquestionably the Burgomaster Gull of
the Dutch, and preys on smaller birds as well as on fish. One spe-
cimen which was killed disgorged a little Auk when it was struck,.
and proved on dissection to have a second in its stomach.

Iam indebted to Mr. James Ross, a midshipman of the Isa-
bella, (one of the Discovery ships,) for a singular specimen of a
Gull which, though differing in several points, I conceive must be-
placed under this species: it was shot on the 6th of June near
the middle of Davis’s Straits. Its description is as follows:

Length twenty-six inches; extent fifty-eight inches; a male:
bird ; plumage wholly white, the feathers of the hind head, neck,
back and wings being occasionally tinged witha very faint brown-
ish hue; the legs and feet flesh-coloured ; length of the tarsus
two inches and a half; irides deep brown; the length of the bill
from the corner of the mouth two inches and a half, being full
half an inch shorter than in the usual specimens of the Larus
glaucus; the bill is a yellowish horn-colour, the ends of both.
mandibles being a lead-colour. From the colour of the bill and
the faint spots on the feathers, this bird was evidently immature 3.
and it may reasonably be presumed that its full plumage would
have been entirely white. In this, and in its smaller size, it differs
strongly from the Glaucous Gull; both of these circumstances, I

conjecture,

546 Capt. Santne’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &c.

conjecture, may have been caused by sickness or by scanty supply

of food.
20. Larus Arcentatus. Silvery Gull.

The bird now under consideration does not appear to have
been described in any of the books which are referred to in this
memoir. It is necessary therefore to explain why the name of
argentatus or silvery, which has been used before, has been at-
tached to it. A Larus argentatus was introduced by Briinnich,
who was followed by Gmelin; but the bird to which the name
was applied is evidently the Larus fuscus or Herring Gull of La-
tham, in winter plumage: as is also the Silvery Gull of the Arctic
Zoology and of Latham’s Synopsis. In this opinion 'Temminck
concurs, as is shown by his quotations in his Manuel under the
head of Larus glaucus. Latham in the Index Ornithologicus takes
up the Larus argentatus of Briinnich, but considers it erroneously
as an aged bird of the Larus marinus or Great Black-backed Gull.
Montagu finding the term argentatus at liberty, applied it in his
Dictionary to his Less Black-backed Gull; but it will be seen by
reference to the Manuel of Temminck that the Less Black-backed
Gull is the Larus fuscus of Linneus and Gmelin.

I apprehend that the reason why the bird under consideration
has not been hitherto distinctly described is to be found in its
general resemblance to the Larus glaucus: it will be therefore
best distinguished by a comparative description. In the general
character of the plumage they are alike, differing from the other
large species of this genus in the entire absence of black in the
primary quill-feathers ; the shade of the ash-colour of the back,
scapulars, and coverts, varies in different specimens from almost
the lightest perceptible tint to a darker than the darkest Larus
glaucus that was killed on the voyage; the principal distinction

between

Capt. Sastne’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 547

between the two species is in the difference of size; the males
of this species average twenty-four inches in length, and the fe-
males rather less: extent four feet five to four feet six inches: the
legs and bill of both are alike, except in size: length of the tarsus
two inches and a half; the wings of the argentatus are rather
longer in proportion than those of the glaucus.

These birds were abundant in Davis’s Straits and Baffin’s Bay,
but were only seen in mature summer plumage: from analogy it
may be expected that the immature birds will resemble those of
the Glaucous Gull.

I should have been disposed to have considered this bird as a
new and undescribed species; but in a personal communication
with Mr. Temminck, whose extensive skill and judgement in or-
nithology are only equalled by the liberality and kindness with
which he communicates his knowledge, I have learned that he
considers the bird of Greenland to be specifically the same with
the Herring Gull of the more southern shores of Europe; but
that from the effect of climate the black markings of the primary
quill-feathers, which have been hitherto considered an essential
characteristic of the species, are changed to white in the arctic
countries. The mature summer birds of Greenland (in which
state only I have seen them) certainly strongly resemble our Her-
ring Gull in all other points. In deference therefore to such high
authority, I add the synonyms of the authors I quote belonging
to that bird, as it is found in temperate climates.

L. Fuscus. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 815. Mill. no. 164. Faun. Suec. 54.—L. Glaucus.
Temm.493.—Herring Gull. Lath. Syn.vi.372. Br. Zool. ii. 181. Mont. Dict.& Supp.
MATURE WINTER. L. Argentatus. Gmel. i. 600. Brin. no. 149.—Silvery
Gull. Lath. Syn. vi. 375. Arct. Zool. ii. 533.
MATURE SUMMER. L. Fuscus. Gmel.i. 599. Brun.no. 142.—Herring Gull.
Arct. Zool. i. 527.
IMMATURE. L. Varius. Driin. no. 150.—Wagel. Arct. Zool. Supp. 70.
VOL. XII. AB Before

548 Capt. Sanine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c.

Before I had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. 'Temminck, he
had designed to give the specific name of argentatus to the Eu-
ropean bird; it will therefore remain as I have placed it at the
head of this species: the name of glaucus, which in his Manuel
was given to the Herring Gull, will be removed by him to the
true Glaucous Gull. It is singular that Pennant, in his Arctic
Zoology, under the head of Herring Gull, states that bird to be
common in Greenland throughout the year; though no other
writer, as far as my observation has extended, mentions the cir-
cumstance, and we did not observe a single one with black pri-
mary quill-feathers during our voyage in the Straits.

21. Larus Expurneus. Ivory Gull.

L. Eburneus. Gmel. i. 596. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 816. Temm. 498.—Ivory Gull. Lath.
Syn. vi. 377. Arct. Zool. il. 529. & Supp. 70.—L. Candidus. Fabr. 108. Miill. p. vii.

Abundant in Baffin’s Bay. Authors describe the length of
this bird as sixteen or seventeen inches; the matured specimens
obtained, averaged twenty inches; but an immature one measured
an inch less. Weight about twenty ounces. Nothing can exceed
the beauty of the delicate snow-white plumage of this species in
its maturity: I apprehend that this takes place at the end of the
second year; on the 24th of August the young birds were ob-
served in flight, much mottled with brown about the head, and
probably also about the wings, though not so visibly. A specimen
killed the first week in June, of a bird apparently of the pre-
ceding year, has a few light-brown feathers about the bill, extend-
ing towards the eyes, a very small transverse band of brown spots
across the primary wing coverts, thickest at the point of the
wing; the primary quill and the tail feathers slightly tipped with
brown. Since my return I have seen a specimen of an immature
bird with the ends of the primary quill-feathers and of the tail-

feathers

Capt. Savine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, 8c. 549

feathers tipped with brown: the bill of the immature bird has the
extremity yellow asin the mature bird. The wings of this species
extend an inch and a half beyond the tail: the legs are black, and
the skin very rough; they are feathered within a very short distance
of the knee: length of the tarsus only one inch and a half ; the claws
are much hooked : irides dark brown in every specimen: the legs
and bill of the mature birds agreed in colour with the descriptions
of the authors quoted; the hind claw is sufficiently conspicuous,
though Fabricius says not. These birds are attracted in consider-
able numbers by whale blubber, and are therefore usually found
in company with the Procellaria glacialis; they are easily killed,
being by no means shy.

22. Larus Tripactytus. Kittiwake Gull.
L. Tridactylus. Temm. 502.—Kittiwake. Mont. Dict. & Supp.

MATURE SUMMER. L. Tridactylus. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 817. Fabr. 98.—
Kittiwake. Lath. Syn. vi. 393. Br. Zool. ii. 186.—L. Rissa. Gmel. i. 594. Arce.
Zool. Supp. 70. Briin. no. 140. Miill. no. 160.

MATURE WINTER. Kittiwake. Arct. Zool. ii. 520. & Supp. 70.

IMMATURE. L. Tridactylus. Gmel. i. 595. Miill. no. 161. Faun. Suec. 55.
—L. Tridactylus. 6. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 817.—Tarrock Gull. Mont. Dict. & Supp.
Lath. Syn. vi. 392. & Supp. 268. Br. Zool. ii. 187. Arct. Zool. ii. 533. & Supp.
70.

It is expedient to distinguish the different states of plumage of
this bird, in reference to the authors quoted. 'Temminck is the
first writer who appears to have had a full knowledge of the
changes it undergoes. The mature summer plumage is wholly
white, with the exception of the back and wings; these are of a
deep ash-colour: the black markings of the primary quill feathers
have been correctly described by Temminck. In the autumn,
the white at the back of the head and neck is changed into a
light ash-colour, which is rather deepest behind the ear, forming
the appearance of a spot: the small feathers under the eye are

4B2 also

550 Capt. Sapine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, Sc.

also rayed with black. The young birds when full grown have
this autumnal appearance with additional differences correctly
described in the Fauna Suecica; the bill is black instead of yel-
low; at the back of the neck the feathers are tipt black, forming
a narrow crescent-shaped patch ; the wing coverts are tipt black,
forming a bar across the wings ; primary quills black, with more
or less of the inner webs in different specimens white: tail tipt for
half an inch with black, except the outer feather on each side, the
second having only a spot on the inner web. It is worthy of ob-
servation that the outer tail feathers are somewhat longer than the
inner ones, giving the tail an appearance of being slightly forked ;
this is more perceptible in the young birds than in the old ones.

The specific name of tridactylus (though given by Linneus to
the immature bird) appears preferable, as being more appropriate
than that of Rissa: it is therefore adopted. I am inclined to
suppose that this species attains maturity at the age of one year.
In June none were seen with spotted plumage; early in October
several immature birds were killed, being marked as above de-
scribed: the specimens noticed by Montagu as killed in the
month of March, and supposed by him to be in complete plu-
mage, had evidently not got rid of all the black markings on the
wing coverts, which I believe would have taken place, had they
lived a few weeks longer.

The L. tridactylus of Gmelin and Miiller, and the Tarrock Gull
of the Arctic Zoology, are the young bird after it has lost the black
bar upon the wing, and before the colour has disappeared from
the neck and frem the tips of the tail-feathers. It is apprehended
that the Larus cinerarius of Fabricius is the ¢rzdactylus in winter
plumage: its rarity in Greenland, as noticed by him, may be ac-
counted for by the probability that most of these Gulls migrate
southwards during that season.

23. Larus

Capt. Sanine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 551

23. Larus Sasinti. Forked-tailed Gull.

A full description of this bird having been already presented to
the Society*, it is unnecessary to repeat the account.

Mr. 'Temminck informs me that he has seen this bird in the
Museum at Vienna, where it was proposed to call it Larus colla-
ris, but that it has not been described by the ornithologists of that
capital, or by any author whatsoever before the Memoir above
referred to was presented to the Society. The specimen, he thinks,
was obtained from Professor Giesecké ; but the bird is not to be
found ina MS. list of Greenland birds in his own hand-writing,
with the sight of which I have been favoured by Mr. Bullock, nor
is any other Gull there mentioned with which it could possibly
have been confounded.

24. Lestris Parasiticus.
Catharacta Parasitica. Fabr. 103.

MATuRE. Larus Parasiticus. Gmel. ii. 601. Lath. Ind. Orn. 11. 819. Faun.
Suec.55. Miull.no.166. Temm.512.—Arctic Gull. Br. Zool.ii. 179. Arct. Zool. ii.
530. Lath. Syn.vi. 389. Mont. Dict.§ Supp—Catharacta Parasitica. Briin. no. 127.

IN BROWN PLUMAGE. Catharacta Coprotheres. Brin. no. 128.

IMMATURE. Lestris Crepidatus. Temm. 515.—Larus Crepidatus. Gmel. ii. 602.
Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 819.—Black-toed Gull. Br. Zool. ii. 178. Arct. Zool. ii. 531.
Lath. Syn. vi. 387. Supp. 268. Mont. Dict. § Supp—tLarus Cepphus. Miill. no. 168.
—Catharacta Cepphus. Briin. no. 126.

I have followed the example of Temminck in removing this
with the other dark-coloured Gulls from Larus and giving them
the generic appellation of Lestris. Much inaccuracy as well as
difference of opinion has existed respecting not only the imma-
ture, but the mature birds of this species. ‘The immature bird
has been described as a distinct species. Montagu was the first
author who had a doubt of the correctness of this arrangement, but
he erred in considering the young bird as a variety only. It has been

* See page 520 of this volume.

called

552 Capt. Sasrne’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &c.

called by the different names cited above, during the first year of its
existence, when its tail is destitute of the long feathers, and its whole
plumage is marked with transverse bars of light-brown and dingy
white. The markings do not entirely leave it in the second year,
but are perceptible in the under parts of the wings and in the
adjoining under parts of the body: at this period the two centre
tail feathers have become elongated, the breast and throat have
become white, though sometimes spotted a little, and the ends of
the feathers of the back and wing coverts are tinged with brown,
the crown of the head being dark brown. As the birds advance
in age the under parts and back of the neck become white stained
more or less with brown, and the sides and back of the neck are
tinged with yellow; the crown of the head and the whole upper
parts except the neck are an uniform dark brown, and the two
tail feathers are much lengthened. In all these changes there are
however considerable variations; and even in the description of
the immature bird as a separate species, authors have varied ac-
cording to the age of the specimen before them. Fabricius’s ob-
servations ascertained that there was no difference between the
sexes; and as he saw them at their breeding places he must have
been aware of their difference of plumage in their young state.
I learn from Mr. 'Temminck, who has had recent opportunities of
investigating the history of this bird, that he is satisfied the males
and females of the same age are alike, and that he is convinced of
the specific identity of the Larus crepidatus. But the great diffi-
culty is where to place the birds which have their whole under parts
brown: these have been erroneously considered by many as the
females, and Briinnich made them a distinct species ;—the elu-
cidation of this point must wait for further investigation. Several
birds in that state of plumage, but no young ones, were killed
during the voyage in the Straits.

95. Pro-

Capt. SaBine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §:c. 553

25. ProcettarRiIa Guacrattis. Fulmar Petrel.

P. glacialis. Gmel. i. 562. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 823. Faun. Suec. 51. Temm. 518.
Briin. no. 118. Fabr. 86. Miill. no. 144—Fulmar Petrel.. Lath. Syn. vi. 403.
Arct. Zool. ii. 534. Br. Zool. ii. 203.—Fulmar. Mont. Dict. & Supp.

These birds are very abundant at all times in Baffin’s Bay and
Davis’s Straits; the greater part in the plumage described by
authors generally: but some were occasionally seen in which the
whole under parts as well as the head and neck were ash-coloured,
instead of white; and the back and wings of a darker shade:
these latter birds agree with the plumage which Temminck has
assigned to the young birds; if they were such, the species is two
years in attaining maturity, because we killed full-plumaged birds
of this character in June; the difference cannot be sexual, as
males and females in each colour were obtained.

Whilst the ships were detained by the ice in Jacob’s Bay in
latitude 71°, from the 24th of June to the 3d of July, Fulmars
were passing in a continual stream to the northward, in numbers
inferior only to the flight of the passenger pigeon in America.

Latham appears to have been in error in his Synopsis in re-
ferring to Briinnich as an authority for the tail of this species
being black: we did not see any birds so marked.

26. Anas Spectapitis. King Duck.

Anas Spectabilis. Gmel. i. 507. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 845. Faun. Suec. 39. Miiil.
no. 108. Fabr.63.—King Duck. Arct. Zool. ii.554. Lath. Syn. vi.473. Br. Zool. ii.
246. Mont. Dict. & App.

I am indebted to Mr. Skene, midshipman of the Isabella, for
the only male specimen of this most beautiful Duck, which was
shot during our voyage. They were very numerous on the coast
of Greenland in company with the Eider Ducks; but they were
too shy to approach the ships, and opportunities of seeking them

on

554 Capt. Sabine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &<c.

on shore were very rare and very hurried. ‘Two females were
killed, agreeing as well as the male with the descriptions of au-
thors. It is reasonable to suppose that they are the same num-
ber of years in attaining maturity as the Kider Duck; but the
different states of their immature plumage have not as yet been
noticed. ‘This is one of the desiderata which it is hoped the next
voyage will supply. ‘The rarity of this bird in the milder parts
of Europe, and the want of specimens of it in the best collec-
tions, have occasioned it to be imperfectly known, except amongst
the writers on the ornithology of the northern regions. ‘lemminck
in his Manuel considers it as the Anas mollissima in one of its
changes; this is the cause that there is no reference to his work
amongst the books cited. It is however noticed in the second
edition of his Manuel, now preparing for publication, as a distinct
species.

The trachea of the King Duck has so close a resemblance to
that of the Anas mollissima or Eider Duck, that one description
and figure will suffice for both: they are represented in the an-
nexed plate. Tab. XXX. Fig. 1 and 2.

27. Anas Mouutsstma. Eider Duck.

A. Mollissima. Gmel. i. 514. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 845. Temm. 549. Mil. no. 116.
Fabr. 68. Briin. nos. 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63,64, 65,§ 66. Foun. Suec. 41.—
Eider Duck. Lath. Syn. vi. 470. Supp. 274. Br. Zool. 11.243. Mont. Dict. &
Supp. Arct. Zool. ii. 553. Wil. Am. Orn. vii. 122 (male). 125 (female).

Abundant on the coast of Greenland ; but we were not fortu-
nate in obtaining many specimens. According to Fabricius these

Ducks congregate in immense flocks during the winter. Briin-

nich has described the male of various ages, as well as the female,

and several varieties: according to his account the male is not
perfectly mature in plumage till the fourth year; he describes the
male at one year old as having white as well as black markings on

various

Line Ltans. Vol XU. Lab. 30. p. 554.

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Capt. SaBtne’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 555

various parts; but a young male which was killed in June exactly
resembled the female in colour, though much larger in size. A
specimen of a young male, which I obtained in June, had no ap-
pearance of change from the brown plumage, and certainly was
not a bird of that year; I have therefore formed an opinion on
this point different from that of Briinnich. ‘The trachea of the
male is uniform in size, rather compressed; the tympanum is small
and flatly globose ; the branchiz are of different sizes, the larger
one being dilated considerably in the centre.

98. Awas Gracratis. Long-tailed Duck.

A. Glacialis. Gmel. i. 529. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 864. Temm. 558—Anas Hyemalis.
Fabr.7\. Mill. no. 123. Faun. Suec. 44 & 47. no.133 (female). Briin. nos. 75,
76, 77, 78, & 79.—Long-tailed Duck. Lath. Syn. vi. 528 (male). & 529 (female).
Br. Zool. ii. 268. © Arct. Zool. ii. 566. Mont. Dict. Supp. & App. Wil. Am.
Orn. viii. 93 (male). & 96 (female).
ImmMaTuURE. Anas Glacialis, var. y. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. 865 (female)—Anas
Hyemalis. Gmel. 1. 529.—Long-tailed Duck. Arct. Zool. 11. 505. & App. 76.

As the Long-tailed Duck only winters in Europe, returning to
the arctic regions in the summer, the state of its plumage at the
time we were in Baffin’s Bay is interesting. I obtained a speci-
men of a mature male on the 30th of June. Its winter dress has
been detailed by several of the authors referred to, but I believe
a description of its summer plumage will be new. The whole
under part of the neck and the breast is black, the appearance of
the black spot so conspicuous in winter being removed by the
general diffusion of the dark feathers; the sides of the head and
a little beyond the eye are a brownish white; round the eye
are some white feathers; from the bill a black line runs on the
top of the head to the crown, which is black; the back of the
neck is chiefly black, but at a small distance below the crown a
few white feathers are intermingled with the black ones across

VOL. XII. 4c the

556 Capt. Sapinu’s Memoir on the Birds of Greentand, &c.

the neck; the black of the back of the neck extends down the
back, but in the centre of the upper part of the back near the
neck is a patch of black feathers edged with ferruginous; the
scapulars are long and narrow, black in the centre and edged
with ferruginous-white, the longer ones having more white;
the wings are a brownish-black, the quill feathers being the
palest ; the lower belly and sides to the rump and the under tail-
coverts are white, a line of black descending between the white
from the back to the tail; of the four middle tail-feathers two
are eight inches, the others are about four and a half inches long.
Briinnich gives this bird in five different states of sex and plu-
mage, the second (No. 76) is the male in summer plumage. Mon-
tagu, in the Appendiv to his Supplement, has described the trachea
well; the figures in the annexed engraving, Tab. X XX. fig. 5 and 4,
will convey a very correct idea of its appearance: it is most curi-
ous and singular in its construction ; the window-like formation
at the lower part next the tympanum is particularly so.

Subjoined is a complete list of the birds of Greenland, as far as
I conceive they are at present ascertained; the Fauna Groenlan-
dica has been taken as the foundation thereof, and the alterations
which appear to be necessary have been made in it.

The species enumerated by Fabricius are fifty-four: [ have re-
duced five of these, considering them as synonyms of some of the
others, but have enlarged the list again by the addition of an equal
number of species which had not fallen under the notice of that
author; the names of the five reduced species are placed in italics
under those to which I have referred them; and the added spe-
cies are marked with an -j; in those cases where I have given the
bird of the Fauna Groenlandica under a more correct name, the
synonym of that work follows in the same line in italics. ‘The birds
which are marked * are described in the preceding pages.

1. Falco

Capt. Saninn’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 557

ils

f* 3.

24,

e---

Falco Albicilla. Vaudltur Albicilla.
- Islandicus. Falco Islandus.
- rusticolus.

—- fuscus.
- peregrinus. Not mentioned by Fabricius, or by
any other author, as a bird of Greenland.

. Strix nyctea.

asio. Fabricius had not seen this bird himself.

. Corvus corax.
. Tetrao lagopus.
. Emberiza nivalis.

. Fringilla Lapponica.

— linaria.

. Sylvia Oenanthe. Motacilla Oenanthe.

. Parus bicolor. Not seen by Fabricius.

. Ardea cinerea. Not seen by Fabricius.

. Scolopax Lapponica. Scolopax Jardreka.

—-— gallinago. This and the preceding species are
very rare according to Fabricius.

. Tringa maritima. Tringa striata.

-~ interpres. Not seen by Fabricius.

- ——-- cinerea. Not mentioned by Fabricius or by

any other author as a bird of Greenland.
-— Alpina.

. Charadrius hiaticula.

--— pluvialis. Charadrius apricarius.

. Phalaropus hyperboreus. Tringa lobata.

platyrynchos. Tringa fulicaria. Not seen
by Fabricius, but described as a Greenland
bird by Briinnich.

Alca impennis.

4cQ2 25. Alca

558 Capt. Sasine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, &c.

25. Alca torda.

pica.
26. Arctica.
27 alle.
+-* 28. Uria Briinnichii. Not described before as a bird of
Greenland.
* 29 erylle.
30. Colymbus glacialis.
* 31. — septentrionalis.

* 32. Sterna hirundo.
* 33. Larus marinus.

* 34 — glaucus.
ipo: argentatus. Not noticed by Fabricius.
* 36. eburneus. Larus candidus.
* 37. ——- tridactylus.
— cinerarius. Not seen by Fabricius.
+* 38. —-— Sabini. A new species.

* 39. Lestris parasiticus. Catharacta parasitica.
* 40. Procellaria glacialis.

41. — - puffinus.
4?. Mergus merganser. Not seen by Fabricius.
AS. serrator.
44. Anas anser. Not seen by Fabricius.
45. bernicla.
* 46. spectabilis.
* AT. mollissima.
48. boschas.
49. clangula.
glaucion.
* 50. —— hyemalis.

51. —— histrionica.
52. Peli-

Capt. Sapine’s Memoir on the Birds of Greenland, §c. 559

52. Pelicanus carbo.
53. ————— graculus. Pelicanus cristatus.
54, ————— Bassanus. Only seen off the coast; not an

inhabitant.

Of the above fifty-four species, I have in the preceding pages
described twenty-eight which came immediately under my own
observation. Of the twenty-six species which I did not meet with,
six were not even seen by Fabricius, and others are unquestion-
ably rare birds in Greenland.

XXXV. Chae

( 560 )

XXXV. Characters and Description of Lynuuta, a new Genus of
Mosses, with Observations on the Section of the Order to which it
belongs; and some Remarks on Lrvrostomum and BuxBaumta.

By Robert Brown, Esq. F.R.S. Libr. LS.
Read April 6, 1819.

I the tenth volume of the Society’s Transactions, I have given
a description of Dawsonia, a genus of Mosses having entirely
the habit of Polytrichum, but whose peristomium, instead of con-
sisting of a single row of short teeth connected by a horizontal
membrane, is composed of an indefinite number of capillary cilia.
These cilia, originating both from the inner surface of the capsule,
immediately within the orifice, and from the columella itself, form
a loose pencil, of which the hairs are sufficiently distinct to allow
of a gradual discharge of the seeds.

The correctness of this account of Dawsonia, especially as to
the origin of the peristomium*, and the nature of the supposed
columella}, has been questioned by some of those authors, who
have since adopted the genus.

From a careful re-examination, however, I find no reason to
alter in any respect the generic character formerly given; and to
the description of the species I have only to add, that the upper
surface of the leaves is furnished with parallel lamellz, like those
of Polytrichum ; and that the inner membrane of the capsule is,

* Bridel Meth. Nov. Muscor. p. 205.
t De la Pylaie in Journal de Botanique appliq. iii. p. 184. :
in

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